Spy vs. Spy: Former SecDef Gates talks Putin

Apr. 22, 2014 - 06:00AM
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Before he became secretary of defense, Robert Gates spent a career at the CIA when U.S intelligence agents were pitted against the KGB.

Now Russian President Vladimir Putin, a former KGB lieutenant colonel, has made clear his intent to reassert Russiaís influence in the region.

In an interview with Military Times, Gates discusses his past interactions with Putin and what Putinís ambitions are. The former spymaster also talks about the dangers of cuts to defense spending at a time when the world is becoming more dangerous.